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There’s a quiet assumption behind the wheel of most electrical automobiles, that slower is at all times higher. Higher for vary, for effectivity, for nerves. And whereas that’s nonetheless largely true, a rising physique of knowledge from real-world EV house owners means that the time-versus-speed equation isn’t so simple as it was once.
Can Driving Sooner and Extremely-Quick Charging Shorten EV Highway Journeys?
With ultra-fast charging and evolving infrastructure, there are instances, not suggestions, the place touring at greater speeds could end in shorter total journey occasions. This isn’t to advertise dashing; it’s about exploring how electrification is subtly altering the way in which long-distance journey works.
One Redditor summed it up fantastically:
“When the subject of vary comes up, there’s at all times dialogue about driving 70 vs. 80 and the way a lot additional you’ll drive on a single cost. And it is true, the effectivity drop is non-linear, so 70 to 75 loses extra vary than 65 to 70.
Nevertheless, what I believe will get misplaced on this dialog is that the factor most individuals care about on highway journeys will not be the effectivity or uncooked variety of stops, however quite time to vacation spot. DCFC is changing into more and more extra widespread, and so long as you do not have to exit of your means and have respectable charging speeds, you may save a big period of time by going 80 vs attempting to hypermile to keep away from stopping.
To offer an instance, for instance you’re driving a car that fees at 100 kW on common, and let’s take the 2 conditions of chilling at 65 mph vs. dashing at 80 mph, over the course of a 500 mile journey. I will be very beneficiant to the slowpoke and say that at 65 mph you may get 4 miles/kWh, whereas at 80 you solely get 2 miles/kWh, and also you begin by leaving residence at 0% (simply so we do not have to deduct an arbitrary quantity of charging time from each). Placing this into desk type:
Even for those who add in a flat 5 minutes per cease to get to the charging spot and get cost sorted, it is nonetheless clear that dashing beats going sluggish. Plus, these numbers are exaggerated already in favor of the slower velocity, and it nonetheless loses (my private numbers are 3.4 mi/kWh at 65 mph and ~2.5 mi/kwh at 80, not less than in good climate). There is a little bit of calculus concerned in figuring out the optimum driving velocity because the particular relationship between your velocity and effectivity is essential to the calculation, however in virtually each state of affairs I may plug into that calculation above, driving 80 got here out forward on time.
Now, you’ll pay extra, however I would gladly pay an additional $20 to get to my vacation spot an hour sooner.
Edit: Mounted the desk. It was combined up initially, and made the precise reverse level of what I used to be attempting to say. Sorry!
Edit2: Because it apparently must be mentioned, I don’t advocate actually driving 80 mph. If it can save you time driving 80, you can even save time at 75 or 70, even within the worst-case state of affairs I outlined of extreme effectivity loss and comparatively sluggish charging speeds.
Edit3: To offer an precise state of affairs from actuality, listed below are the stats for my EV6 from a driving the identical velocity for like ~50 miles at a time on a current roadtrip. I rounded a number of numbers, however that is very near “actual knowledge”. Left at close to 100%, so I am subtracting the cost time. Complete journey miles was 400, and cost velocity was one thing like 180 kW. I am not going to issue within the beginning cost, however you possibly can subtract ~half-hour from the cost and whole occasions if you wish to be pedantic.
So in my state of affairs, there’s nearly an hour of hypothetical financial savings, at the price of 50 kWh, which is about $20. Once more, I am not recommending you drive 80 generally, simply that you just needn’t drive slower simply because it is an EV.” – chilidoggo, Reddit
That quote comes from a Reddit person who not too long ago broke down their highway journey expertise in a Kia EV6. At 80 mph, the journey took 5.9 hours and consumed 167 kWh. At 65 mph, it stretched to six.75 hours however solely used 118 kWh. The sooner tempo shaved off practically an hour of journey time however got here with a roughly $20 premium in electrical energy.
It’s not a definitive argument for driving sooner, it’s a situational remark. In automobiles with quick charging functionality, the additional time spent recharging is perhaps offset by greater cruising speeds, relying on situations.
Actual-World Infrastructure Hurdles for EV Quick Charging Reliability
- Excessive-power DC quick chargers (150–400 miles/hr equal) can sometimes refill an EV from 10 % to 80 % in about 30–60 minutes. Most fashions prime up roughly 100 miles in 30–35 minutes
- EV road-trippers usually schedule charging stops each ~3 hours (or ~200–250 miles) to match battery absorption charges and driver fatigue patterns.
- For environment friendly pit stops, drivers are likely to cost for about 15–25 minutes, roughly the time wanted for restroom breaks, snacks, stretching, and topping off cost curves .
- If utilizing primarily Degree 2 chargers or stopping for a full meal, pauses can lengthen to 30 minutes (fast meals) or 45–60 minutes (sit-down eating places), partially relying on slower charging charges.
Supporting this concept is an in depth breakdown of the Ford F-150 Lightning’s efficiency over a 1,000-mile journey. At 75 mph, the Lightning made it in 16.58 hours with 4 charging stops.
At 70 mph, it took simply 5 minutes longer, however required solely three stops. Right here, once more, we see a tradeoff. Barely decrease speeds can scale back the variety of charging breaks with out including a lot to the clock. However every car is totally different, and as one commenter well famous,
“Every car can have its personal optimum velocity.”
It’s not about velocity for velocity’s sake; it’s about understanding how your EV behaves on lengthy hauls.
Why the Kia EV6’s 800V Structure Revolutionizes Lengthy-Distance Journey
Nonetheless, there are real-world variables that complicate these theoretical positive aspects. As u/s6511 identified,
“There’s a little bit of threat with an EV charger being in use, partly operational, or not operational.”
Even Tesla house owners have often discovered themselves in troublesome conditions when charging stations have been unavailable or underneath restore.
One person recalled being stranded as a result of the one accessible Supercharger in vary was offline, leaving them to look at a working charger they couldn’t use. These hiccups remind us that even when a sooner tempo works on paper, execution relies upon closely on infrastructure reliability.
Key EV Charging Cease Methods for Environment friendly Highway Journeys
In that context, the Kia EV6 stands out. It’s one of many few EVs that may make this time-vs-speed dialogue significant due to its 800-volt structure and high-speed charging functionality, usually topping 200 kW in perfect situations. Kia claims it might cost from 10% to 80% in round 18 minutes, and impartial testing has proven that this efficiency is constant. With that sort of velocity, the penalty for stopping turns into much less of a burden, and journey planning turns into extra versatile.
That mentioned, the price of effectivity remains to be actual. The Reddit person’s sooner 80 mph journey burned via 50 kWh greater than the 65 mph run in most public charging networks, which interprets to about $20. For some, that’s a simple trade-off for an hour saved.
For others, notably these with tighter budgets or entry to cheaper residence charging, it may not be value it. The important thing takeaway isn’t that one strategy is best, it’s that you just now have the choice to tailor your technique based mostly on the capabilities of your car and your journey targets.
2025 Kia EV6 Specs: Battery, Value, and Efficiency Highlights
- The refreshed 2025 EV6 gives upgraded battery choices, 63 kWh for normal fashions and as much as 84 kWh for long-range trims. Kia claims the rear‑wheel-drive lengthy‑vary model now achieves round 319 miles per cost
- U.S. costs begin round $42,900 for the bottom Mild RWD, rising to roughly $63,800 for the GT efficiency variant, plus a vacation spot payment (~$1,475)
- Constructed on the E‑GMP structure (shared with the Ioniq 5), the EV6 helps DC fast-charging at as much as 240 kW and electrical outputs starting from ~125 kW in entry trims to as a lot as 430 kW (roughly 576 hp) within the GT
- Its fundamental rivals embody the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Chevy Bolt EUV, Ford Mustang Mach‑E, Tesla Mannequin Y, Volkswagen ID 4, and luxurious fashions just like the Volvo EX40/C40 and Mercedes EQA. The EV6 usually stands out for superior cost velocity, vary, and driving dynamics
However let’s not get forward of ourselves. As mmiggs commented, even underneath perfect situations, the distinction in whole journey time might be modest, generally simply 12 minutes over a full day of driving.
And as in addition they famous, EVs nonetheless path gasoline automobiles on the subject of total journey velocity, particularly when infrastructure is inconsistent. In a single instance, an EV driver arrived greater than two hours behind their sibling driving an ICE car over the identical route.
The rising knowledge means that conventional driving habits may have some rethinking within the EV period. Slower speeds could protect vary, however they don’t at all times protect time. And for automobiles just like the Kia EV6, with a powerful charging curve and real-world effectivity, it might generally be extra sensible, not essentially smarter or safer, to drive at average freeway speeds and make the most of speedy charging alongside the way in which.
Will this modification the way in which you drive your EV? At what speeds is your automobile best?
Tell us within the feedback beneath.
Picture Sources: Kia Newsroom
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys masking the most recent information within the automotive business and conducting opinions on the most recent vehicles. He has been within the automotive business since 15 years outdated and has been featured in outstanding automotive information websites. You possibly can attain him on X and LinkedIn for suggestions and to comply with his automotive protection.
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